Mark R. Kelly
» Founder in 1997 and site-runner for 20 years of Locus Online (Hugo Award winner in 2002). Founder in 2012 and still site-runner of sfadb.com (Science Fiction Awards Database). Retired in 2012 after 30 years as a software engineer for a certain rocket engine factory.
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» Previous Views from Medina Road (2003-2013)
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- This Much is Reality… and This Much is Fantasy
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- Continuing Our Studies of Human Nature…
- Here’s a New One: Terrain Theory
- A Little Knowledge… Is a Dangerous Thing
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Meta
Category Archives: Religion
Links and Comments: Not Who We Are; Christians and Trump
First, those of my Facebook friends who have the fortitude to read right-wing sites indeed confirm my suspicion that insurrectionists are planning more violence, against all the state capitals, and on inauguration day. So then. Two articles about the claim … Continue reading
Links and Comments: Religion and Abortion
I’m fascinated by how the supposed verities of religion turn out to shift and sway with the times, especially with politics. The religious cherry-pick from scripture whatever they currently want to support, since it’s so easy to find in scripture … Continue reading
Links and Comments: Trying to Be Smarter; Faith vs Fact
NYT: How Do We Get to Herd Immunity for Fake News?, subtitled, “We need to match our focus on the supply of misinformation with a focus on the demand for it.” Yet the chorus of angst over misinformation has focused … Continue reading
Links and Comments: Christian Nationalism; Covid and Climate Denial
NYT: Trump or No Trump, Religious Authoritarianism Is Here to Stay, subtitled “Their unlikely ally may have lost the White House, but Christian nationalists still plan to win the war,” by Katherine Stewart. The 2020 election is proof that religious … Continue reading
The Afterlives, Part 2
I read a striking insight somewhere recently, but don’t remember where it was or who said it. The insight flips inside out the standard belief (at least among Christian faiths) that living a good life gets you into heaven, so … Continue reading
Links and Comments: Religion and Government; Sophisticated Believers; Religious Indoctrination of Children
NY Times, Wajahat Ali: If Amy Coney Barrett Were Muslim, subtitled “It’s not hard to imagine how conservatives would smear her religious beliefs.” For all that Christians complain that they are oppressed or victimized, in fact their religion so saturates … Continue reading
Links and Comments: The Debate; Trump and Christians; No Back to Normal
So much to keep up with! The debate last Tuesday. NYT Editorial: A Debate That Can’t Be Ignored. Subtitle: “Americans need to face the man who is their president.” The debate was excruciating to watch for anyone who loves this … Continue reading
Posted in Politics, Psychology, Religion
Comments Off on Links and Comments: The Debate; Trump and Christians; No Back to Normal
Notes for the Book: Magical Thinking, Cognitive Dissonance, Group-Thinking
Extending thoughts from previous posts about the future of enlightenment and similar matters. About group-thinking and how people get along in their lives just fine without understanding how the world actually works (as well-established by physics, chemistry, biology including evolution, … Continue reading
Posted in Evolution, Psychology, Religion, The Book
Comments Off on Notes for the Book: Magical Thinking, Cognitive Dissonance, Group-Thinking
Links and Comments: Trump’s would-be theocratic regime; the perfidy of Fox News
How is it Republicans and Christians see no problem with this? Patheos.com: Leading SCOTUS Candidate Amy Coney Barrett Claims Bible Precedes Constitution. [Later edit: well of course the Bible literally precedes the Constitution in the sense that it came first, … Continue reading
Links and Comments: Benedictine Option; Pandemic Spread; Economic Stabilizers; Ed Yong; Evangelicals and Trump
The Atlantic: The Christian Withdrawal Experiment. Subtitle: Feeling out of step with the mores of contemporary life, members of a conservative-Catholic group have built a thriving community in rural Kansas. Could their flight from mainstream society be a harbinger for … Continue reading
